how do you tune in the middle of a set

Jeff Hogsten · Post by **Jeff Hogsten** » 15 Apr 2004 7:02 am

Ive read where most of the pro players tune the e and then tune the rest by ear mostly by tuning out the beats. this works great for me, I have started doing this and it actually works better than using a tuner with a chart. How ever I play at church and we have a full band once we start I cant sit there and tune using that method. Im very interested in the v-sam for that reason, I just wonder how some of the rest of you handle this

Jeff

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 15 Apr 2004 9:31 am

Jeff, there are a couple of simple options. One is to write down your settings after tuning in the quiet of your home. Set the Es (or pedaled As) with a tuner, then tune the rest very carefully by ear. When you have it just the way you like it, see where all the strings are on the tuner, and memorize that or write it down on a little card. Now in the middle of a set you can disengage the speaker (or cut the volume), plug in the tuner, and tune to the settings without listening. It sounds scary tuning blind like this, but it works. You can recheck as often as you want this way.

Another option is to use a good set of headphones. For that you need an amp, preamp, or effects unit (like a POD) that has a headphone jack. But as long as your headphones have an impedance larger than your amp (typically 4 ohms or greater) you can just unplug the speaker (if it is not connected with a phone jack, your amp tech can install one), and plug the headphones into the speaker jack. The mono signal will only come out in one ear, but that's good enough for tuning. Alternatively you can get a mono to stereo adaptor at Radio Shack.

Dennis Wood · Post by **Dennis Wood** » 15 Apr 2004 11:09 am

TubeFex built in tuner. Don't even have to get up from my seat. I usually have my Tfex sitting beside me, just select tuner(with sound muted)tune to a pre-determined setting of cents flat or sharp,return to normal mode and pick away. Works for me..
dw

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C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 15 Apr 2004 12:29 pm

I believe the question was, how does a player tune, who tunes everything but the E's by "ear" on the bandstand?

I have NOT a clue. But in going to classical concerts, I am blown away how an oboe player can sound a perfect A440 for just a brief time, and then every other member of that orchestra can tune to it symultaneously. And apparently, perfectly.

That constant tuning by everyone in the orchestra (just before the show begins) shall forever be a mystery to me. How in this world that "musical noise" could ever equate to gettin ANY musical instrument "in tune" defies logic to me. But I know it works. Somehow

"What hath man wrought?"

carl

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 15 Apr 2004 2:08 pm

Carl, it may not be as perfect as you think. Even if the oboe is a hair off, everybody tunes that same hair off, and so its okay (unless there is one of those horrible ET tuned pianos present). The horns only tune to that single note, then they are done. If they are a hair off, it doesn't matter, because all horn notes are played by ear. The strings all have four strings to tune, but they are mostly in fifths, which are pretty easy to tune (these days they're probably already tuned to A440 before they go one stage anyway). And again, most of there playing will be fretless by ear, and with vibrato. That perfect intonation you hear when they start playing, is their professional ears, the same as with the top pro steelers.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 15 Apr 2004 3:08 pm

I sometimes find that the more I tune, the farther out of tune I get!

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 15 Apr 2004 3:28 pm

David,

I confused you. I was not so much concerned with how accurate the A440 on the oboe was: rather how accurate every member came to the oboe with all that tuning going on. It just seems impossible to me.

Thanks for responding,

carl

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 15 Apr 2004 8:44 pm

I played at our n.t.s.g.a. Super Jam on April 6, and I took along my Signal~~Flex {Practice Head-Set} which is a small amp. driven by (1) 9-volt battery. I got my E's with my Boss TU–100 Tuner and then plugged in my Headset and tuned the rest of my guitar in front of a large crowd of people, but; no one heard my steel except me! Contact Bobbe Seymour www.steelguitar.net and inqure about the Signal~~Flex Practice Head-Set. Very inexpensive and quite practical!

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click here[This message was edited by John Bechtel on 17 April 2004 at 08:41 PM.][This message was edited by John Bechtel on 17 April 2004 at 08:44 PM.]